G-E-T wins one of three to finish regular season
Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau softball won their Coulee Conference finale before taking a pair of losses in a nonconference doubleheader finale to wrap up their regular season last week.
The Red Hawks walked off as winners in a dramatic finish to their conference slate against Onalaska Luther last Monday, before falling 3-2 and 7-5 in a road doubleheader with Holmen on Thursday. Additional stats from Thursday were not provided by press time.
G-E-T finishes the regular season with a 13-6 record, including a 10-2 Coulee record good for second in the conference. They were scheduled to begin their postseason as the fourth seed in the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division Three regional tournament on Monday against fifth-seeded Greenwood/Loyal (15-8). A win would advance them to face the winner of top-seeded Prescott and ninth-seeded Osseo-Fairchild on Wednesday. Sectional play is scheduled to begin this coming Monday.
G-E-T 5 Luther 4
G-E-T flipped the script on a 4-2 deficit after five innings to seize a late Coulee victory over the Knights at home last Monday.
Melissa Flynn played a big role in the comeback, tallying her third hit of the day to put two runners aboard in the bottom of the sixth. McKenna Johnson sacrificed both Flynn and Camery Holzer over to second and third respectively with a bunt to follow. Anna Puent got Holzer home to close the gap to one with an RBI groundout, before Lindsey Lettner singled home the second run to tie the game at four.
After a scoreless top of the seventh, Genna O’Neill led off the inning by reaching on a single. Ryann Duffenbach sacrificed her over to second, where she remained after a walk and a Holzer fly out for the second out. The Red Hawks’ hottest hitter last Monday came through once again in the clutch to follow, as Flynn walked it off for G-E-T with a run-scoring single.
Flynn led G-E-T with four of their 11 team hits, including the game-winner. Lettner and Holzer each added two hits and a run scored as well. O’Neill went the distance on the mound, tallying eight strikeouts while limiting the Knights to four runs, one earned on seven hits and no walks.
Holmen 3 G-E-T 2
Game one of the nonconference doubleheader in Holmen last Thursday was low-scoring, but high on drama through an extra frame.
O’Neill got the Red Hawks on the board first with one out in the top of the fourth, connecting on a solo home run to take the 1-0 lead. Holmen matched with a home run of their own in the bottom half of the inning.
G-E-T took back the 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth, as Johnson came around to score on an error at first after reaching on a fielder’s choice. Puent reached base on the same error, but would be stranded at third at the end of the inning. The Red Hawks stranded another runner in scoring position in the sixth, after a one-out double by Duffenbach was unable to make it home with the next two retired in order.
Holmen took advantage of two errors in the bottom of the seventh to bring around a one-out single and tie the game at two in their final at-bat of regulation. In the top of the eighth, Maggie Bistodeau reached on a base hit with one away, but consecutive fly outs to center ended the inning.
Two more errors on a hot day in Holmen gave the hosting Vikings the win, as the leadoff hitter reached on an error at short before later coming around to score with two outs on an error in left field.
O’Neill took the loss, allowing three runs, one earned on six hits and two walks while striking out one in eight innings. She also had two of the team’s six hits, including the home run.
G-E-T also lost 7-5 in game two, which was shortened to five innings due to heat. Additional stats were not provided for the Red Hawks.
